1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments relate to methods to control the power consumption of a phone, wherein a power saving mode is automatically switched on or off for the phone.
2. Background of the Related Art
For instance, it is common to switch a mobile phone display to power saving mode if no key has been pressed for a certain period of time. In this way, the operating life of a battery pack can be lengthened considerably.
There are, however, also phones operated in telecommunication systems and/or connected via a fixed line to a phone network or a data communication network. The telecommunication system can be a traditional telecommunication system for circuit-switched phone calls or an IP-phone system (IP) for IP-phones. A combination of both telecommunication systems is also possible.
A telecommunication system serves to switch phone calls, especially within the private area of a telecommunication system operator, e.g., a manufacturer or service company. Examples of telecommunication systems are for instance the HiCOM or HiPath systems by Siemens AG or Siemens Enterprise Communications.
For instance, one telecommunication system can have between three and several thousand subscribers connected. The telecommunication system implements a multitude of performance features that are known from public telecommunication system switching centers, e.g. call forwarding, conference calling, etc. Telecommunication systems, however, also offer speed dialing numbers, which are different from the public telecommunication network telephone numbers.
Embodiments may further include a telephone (10), wherein the telephone (10) comprises a voice input/output unit (158) and a control unit (154) designed to execute the following steps: for the telephone (10), initial data (72), (74) are automatically generated, indicating when the phone (10) is used, from the initial data (72), (74) it is automatically determined when the phone (10) is most likely to not be used and depending on the period of time determined, the power saving mode is switched on or off.
Embodiments may also include a programming unit (210) for data that indicates when at least one phone (10) is most likely not being used and with a control unit (204) that switches the power saving mode for the phone (10) on or off, depending on the programmed data.
Embodiments may include a telephone (10) comprising a voice input/output unit (158), a control unit (154) designed to execute the following steps automatically: recording of time periods, during which no user input occurs at the phone (10) and/or during which no prompt to the phone (10) is detected, comparison of the detected period of time with a default period of time (162), switching on the power saving mode for the phone (10), when the detected period of time is longer or equal to the default time period, wherein the phone is an IP phone connected to a data communication network via a communication cable.
In some embodiments a telephone comprises a voice input unit (158), a recording unit for data transmission via a communication distance (166) to the terminal device which is connected to the phone (10) and a control unit (154) designed to execute the following steps automatically: switching to and/or out of the power saving mode depending on a data stream from or to the terminal device (60).
A further embodiment includes a telecommunications system comprising a control unit (504) offering the alternative use of a phone (310) and terminal device (380) connected to the telecommunication system (352), wherein the control unit (504, 307) is designed to trigger the switching to or from power saving mode for the phone (10) depending on the usage of the terminal device (380).
A telecommunications system according to other embodiments of the invention may comprise a control unit (504), which offers the use of a phone (410) connected to a telecommunication system (452), an interface (484) to a data communication network (481) for a terminal device (480), which is being used by the user of the phone (410), wherein the control unit (504) is designed to trigger the switching on or off of the power saving mode depending for the phone (410) on the reception of a date from the data communication network (481) in the telecommunication system (452), wherein the date depends on the location of the terminal device (480).
Additional embodiments may include a telephone (10), telecommunication system (52), (352), (452) or device (70), (370), (470) comprising units to execute a method according to the embodiments set forth above.